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Info Absolution (Summary - List of stories) . The Murdered Albatross << previous act | Act 4 of 4 | next act >> Finishing What Was Started << previous chapter |''' Chapter 35 of 39 | next chapter >> << previous scene | '''Scene 2 of 2 | next scene >> Summary * Location: *Participants: *Time: *Summary: Text The night that followed was soft and quiet, almost solemn: despite how much everyone wanted to be happy and excited, the gravity of what they were getting into weighed down on each and every pony. But it wasn't sorrowful, or unhappy: it was merely the understanding that they were getting ready to enter what had once been one of the most dangerous places across the layers of reality... and more than that, they were finally going to discover what had happened to Luna and Scrivener, after nearly a decade of not knowing if they were dead or alive. Antares spent the night at Scarlet Sage's townhouse with his family: Twilight Sparkle and Burning Desire left in the early evening, however, so that Twilight could get her rest. The fiery stallion had been clear in saying that if he was wanted, he would be willing to come with Antares... but Antares had told him quietly to enjoy his time with Twilight instead. He also reminded the demon gently that he wouldn't be forgotten or cast aside... Antares made sure to make it clear that if anything, Luna and Scrivener would want to thank and befriend Burning Desire for everything he had done. The demon looked quiet at this, and then he had smiled a little, saying softly: "And in the future, I'm sure we will be friends, Antares. But I'm not made of the same stuff as Sleipnir: while I'll always love and eagerly be at your mother's side, I fear I might be bitter for a while with your parents. Still, though... if they treat my sweet violet well... if they are good to her, and I see they make her happy, and they show her proudly to the world... then perhaps one day we'll all be friends together. And I am eager to meet them, I am. It's only... difficult to temper my longing sometimes." And Antares could understand, in a way: he thought of other happy couples he had seen, now that he had lost Prestige, and how sometimes bitterness rose up in him. He thought of the anger he felt, and the desire to lash out that he knew made no sense, and yet was always there anyway: he thought of how sometimes he would wonder quietly why he had to lose Prestige, while other ponies got to live happy lives forever in peace and harmony, in little lucky pockets safe from mayhem and violence, and he wondered silently why he had been born into the opposite life: why he had to give so much, and was paid in return with blood and heartache. And he couldn't imagine the kind of strength that Burning Desire must have to willingly give up the love of his life like he was. The young stallion had managed to keep his thoughts peaceful for the most part: dinner and talking with everyone helped, as had the long, hot bath he'd relaxed in afterwards, soothing his body and helping clear his mind. That was, until the point when he'd opened his eyes and stared at Aphrodisia, who had apparently decided to join him in the tub that was far too small for two ponies to comfortably fit into, and he'd scrambled hurriedly out while she'd whined loudly at him about not being any fun. But Aphrodisia was good for him, in spite of her eccentricities, lack of understanding about boundaries or personal space, and her bubbly sadomasochism. After Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage had gone to bed and Antares and Aphrodisia had retreated to the guest room, the demon insisted on building a fortress out of pillows and blankets, then on hiding in it together as she rambled away about all sorts of gossip and things until finally, the cousins ended up sprawled out over each other. In the morning, Antares felt... ready. He didn't know how else to describe it: it was like while he slept, everything that had worried him had fallen away, and now all he could think about was forging forwards and finding his parents. He hesitated, then glanced over his shoulder at Aphrodisia, who was snoozing on his back... and then he carefully leaned up and kissed her cheek, whispering: "Thanks, little sister, for always... knowing what to do." "Big brother..." Aphrodisia murmured sleepily, and she smiled in her dreams, shifting forwards and half-hugging him with a foreleg, burying her face against him as she murmured drowsily. And Antares simply looked up at her, soft and quiet: he reflected on how fortunate he was in spite of everything, to have people like this in his life. She was a demon, and yet she was family and his very best friend, probably even closer to him than Meadowlark... even if Meadowlark was someone he could turn to for things he couldn't even talk to Aphrodisia about. Antares smiled at this thought, mulling over what it meant, thinking about friendship and family and values. After only a few minutes, though, Aphrodisia's eyes opened, and the demon yawned before smiling and crawling forwards, making the stallion wheeze as she crawled on top of him, hugged him tightly around the neck, and mashed her face down against him, mumbling: "You're comfy." "Get off me, Apps, we gotta get up. Also, this is creepy." Antares paused, then looked down at her moodily as Aphrodisia only grumbled, continuing to cling stubbornly against him as she yawned tiredly and curled herself up into a little ball. "Demons don't need to sleep." "That's why it makes it... so... so hard to get up... afterwards..." Aphrodisia mumbled tiredly, then she grumbled a little. "Besides. I'm half-Lust. I like physical touch, and... you're comforting. So don't be poo-brain." "That's Avalon's word." All the same, Antares only rolled his eyes, resting back for a few moments, letting Aphrodisia relax. It was nice, admittedly, and it brought a strange, almost gentle sadness to him as he thought of Prestige... how much she liked to curl up with him, how warm she had always been... He closed his eyes, reaching up to stroke slowly through the demon's mane, and Aphrodisia mumbled: "Don't start anything, Nova. I'll call your bluff and Mommy and Aunt Tia will get really mad at us both." "Don't be gross, Apps." Antares pushed at her a bit, and Aphrodisia finally grumbled and sat up, yawning loudly before she looked blearily around. Antares sat up... and then he winced when she turned and belched out a burst of orange fog over his face, the young stallion hurriedly waving this away as he complained: "Dammit, I just said don't be gross!" "I'm not being gross, I'm making sure you don't be a butt today." Aphrodisia argued grumpily, as Antares felt a strange mix of numbness and pleasure lighting up his nerves, blurring his thoughts a little before Aphrodisia poked his chest quietly with a cloven hoof. "Look, Nova. We're gonna find Aunt Brynhild and Uncle Scrivy, okay? But you can't get self-loathing and self-upset and stuff, that won't help. So just... let me know if you need me to calm you down and I'll do it. I can do that. I can look after you a little for how often you look after me." Antares softened a bit at this, and then he gave a small smile, reaching up and squeezing her shoulder gently as he said quietly: "I appreciate it, but... honestly, I do feel good, and I am ready, I think. We... we are going to find my Mom and Dad, yeah. Maybe not today, but we're going to Clockwork World, and I know that once we're there, we won't let anything stop us." "Good." Aphrodisia nodded approvingly, and the two smiled at each other before she reached up and touched his face quietly. "You better be telling the truth, Antares. You still look.. twitchy." "Do I?" Antares reached up and rubbed slowly at his face, and then he shook his head as he let his thoughts trail out: it was easier than usual with the numbness and the soft pleasure tickling through his nerves here and there, and after a few moments, the young unicorn finally smiled a little, saying quietly: "Well, let's go downstairs, and I'll let you know if I need... any more help. But no more ambushes." "Fine, fine." Aphrodisia grumbled and nodded back, and then she glanced around at the blankets, sheets, and pillows set up in a tent around them, adding moodily: "I wish I could do this with Daddy more, but he's big and clumsy and always knocks everything over. He was real grumpy about not getting to go with us, too... but I'm glad Mommy is coming, at least. That makes me feel safer." "Me too." The young stallion laughed and nodded, carefully wiggling out of an opening in the sheets as he reflected mildly: "Although sometimes I think only you and I are the ones who ever feel safer around your Mom." Aphrodisia simply plowed through the pillow fort, knocking sheets and other thankfully-soft things in all directions, and Antares grumbled as he turned around to clean up the guest room... only for the demon to bull into him and force him out into the corridor even as she remarked cheerfully: "I like how she's your aunt and I'm your cousin but it's like she's your big sister and I'm your little sister. That makes our family even weirder than it already is. Sometimes I wish we really were all siblings, though, but I guess that would probably be bad." "Probably." Antares rubbed slowly at his face with a sigh, but he was smiling all the same before he turned and added wryly: "I wish you didn't think like that, Apps." Aphrodisia only huffed, adding mildly as they made their way to the stairs: "Again, demon. But I just really want... us all to be close. That's all I care about. That we're family, and we can share things and we all have each other, always..." "And we always will be." came Scarlet Sage's voice, and Antares smiled warmly, looking as he and the demon strode down the hall and into the kitchen. The Pegasus was waiting for them there, already pouring them each a mug of tea on the small table as she said softly: "I thought I heard you two up. I'm gonna let Red sleep a little longer, then I'll get her, too, and we'll head over to meet Celestia." The young stallion nodded slowly as they approached and each sat down. For a few moments, he studied the Pegasus, and she gazed quietly back at him before reaching out and touching his hoof, saying softly: "It's gonna go well, Antares. I know it is. We're going to find Mom and Dad... and we're going to save them." She stopped, then smiled faintly and closed her eyes. "Well, you are, I should say. I wish now that I had done more, little brother... but you never gave up, never stopped fighting, and... I know that's all going to pay off now." Antares closed his eyes, smiling a little as he dropped his head and nodded hesitantly, and for a little while there was quiet between the three. They spoke in the silence all the same, however, as they traded looks, hoofs brushed against one-another's, and Scarlet Sage quietly passed food to both younger ponies, silently nudging them into eating a little to keep up their strength. Apple Bloom came down on her own after a little while, smiling as she entered the kitchen, walking over to Scarlet Sage and trading a short kiss with her before turning to put on coffee. Antares admired the way the couple didn't need words, and he thought quietly of how things had been with Prestige... but as he closed his eyes he reflected that they had possessed their own silent language, too, that by the end, she was able to see into him as deep as he could see into her... Scarlet Sage left while Apple Bloom sipped at her coffee slowly, and the Pegasus returned in her silvery scale mail. She was wearing crosshatch blades instead of a simple edged bracelet, however, and this above everything else made Antares understand how serious his big sister was taking things... and in return, how serious he himself had to be. She was confident, but also prepared, as she said quietly: "You two should go get dressed as well." Antares nodded slowly, finishing the last of a roll of bread as Aphrodisia grunted and hurried off. The young stallion paused as he glanced over Scarlet Sage again, from the silver helm protecting her head to the blades gleaming on her forelegs, and then he smiled over his shoulder at Apple Bloom, saying quietly: "I'm really, really glad you're both coming with me. It means a lot to me." "It means more to us to get to, kiddo." Apple Bloom replied quietly, and Antares lowered his head respectfully before the earth pony winked. "Don't worry though. The way I hear it, you can give Celestia a run for her money." "Now that's a huge exaggeration." All the same, Antares laughed before he turned and quickly headed upstairs, to find Aphrodisia already quickly pulling on a ridged, dark-metal breastplate. The young stallion smiled amusedly at the sight of her grumbling as she tried to wiggle into it, then he turned his attention to where he'd left his own armor, knowing better than to try and help Aphrodisia with her gear. He hesitated as he drew his eyes over his equipment, then reached down and made sure the small, black notebook he was bringing along was safely secured in a hidden pocket beneath his breastplate before hurriedly pulling his gear on. When Antares donned his equipment, everything he was doing sank in, but at the same time he began to feel truly confident, and truly ready for whatever challenges laid ahead. He rubbed a hoof over his polished breastplate, feeling the comfort of the onyx star beneath his armor before he adjusted the rose-etched vambraces, coronet gleaming around his head as he murmured quietly: "I'm ready." "Me too." Aphrodisia added, and Antares glanced up at her with a smile: she had wiggled into her dangerous-looking armor, locked heavy, spiked pauldrons over her shoulder, and secured a skirt of steel plates around her waist with a belt of chain. Her mane was neatly knotted back behind one shoulder, and the two studied each other before they both stepped forwards at the same time and shared a tight, fierce embrace, Aphrodisia murmuring: "We're gonna do it, Nova. We're gonna bring 'em back." "Yeah." Antares agreed in a soft voice, and then the two turned to head downstairs: they were unsurprised to find in the time it had taken them to put on their gear, Apple Bloom had gone upstairs, fitted on her own, and was now back down in the kitchen, drinking another cup of coffee. She smiled from beneath the golden helm that covered her head, solid bracers locked around her limbs and form-fitting light plate covering her body. A rifle was holstered over her back, and she a rawhide belt with several pouches over it secured tight around her waist. Scarlet Sage had been trained by Luna, in addition to her Blood Seer powers; Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, had been trained in combat by Sleipnir, even if she was an engineer before she was a warrior. But she knew her way well around the battlefield, and could handle herself with her hooves or with a rifle, on top of her engineering ability. Antares admired her: after all, he was a fighter, but had scarce few other physical skills apart from hitting things with his hooves and horn. Apple Bloom could build or repair anything on top of being skilled at both ranged and melee combat. They looked over each other, double-checked each other's armor and their own, and then left once Apple Bloom finished her third cup of coffee. On the way, they were joined by Pinkamena in her own banded mail, axe gleaming on her back and a grin on her face as she nodded to Antares and her daughter, and Sleipnir grumbled as he brought up the rear behind them, but looked with soft concern after his family as well as a bit of jealousy over the fact he wouldn't be going. The others were already waiting for them outside the library: Rainbow Dash, Avalon, Meadowlark, Cowlick, Discombobulation, Big Mac, Soarin' and Celestia. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Nirvana and Fluttershy, Spike and Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Burning Desire, Greece and many of the Nibelung all stood a little bit apart, gazing quietly at the others who were all dressed and ready for battle, and Antares looked quietly towards the wagons nearby around which were clustered Celestia's Yamato, and the demons Atrus and Hevatica. And others were lingering, too, watching with respectful interest, like they wanted to watch but didn't want to interfere, or take away from the solemnity and seriousness of what was going on. Celestia slowly looked over those gathered in front of her, and then she looked at Antares with a faint smile as the young stallion strode forwards and said simply: "I'm ready." They simply looked at each other, as Celestia straightened slowly, heavy armor clanking quietly and Tyrfing gleaming on her back, almost as if reflecting her eagerness. The morning sun shone down through the skies, almost making the armored ponies glow before Applejack called clearly from the crowd: "You guys better all take care of yourselves, you hear? Already frustrating enough that my whole damn family gets to go but I gotta stay behind." "Aye, Celestia, 'tis the same for me!" Sleipnir said in an outraged voice, and then he paused before leaning over and grinning at Applejack, winking at her. "Perhaps we should take this time and chance to make our own adventure and our own family, does thou not agree with my wisdom?" Pinkamena grumbled as Aphrodisia only giggled at her father's behavior, and Avalon looked almost jealous: something that clearly made Rainbow's frustration all the more evident as the Pegasus stallion said in a surly voice: "Can you not hit on my wife in front of me? Actually, stop. Flirting with my entire family." "I haven't yet flirted with thy pretty daughter! Although 'tis mostly because I have been told it is very rude to flirt with a mare so much my younger, but she is truly prettier by far than many I have laid mine eyes upon. And truly, her talents only bolster the shieldmaiden's beauty!" Sleipnir declared, and then he winced when Applejack punched him in the shoulder and glared at him and Rainbow gave a horrible look to the enormous earth pony, as Avalon covered her mouth and giggled, then hurriedly cleared her throat and tried to look serious when Pinkamena and Aphrodisia both glared at her. "Sleipnir, focus." Celestia said gently, and the enormous, vine-maned stallion grunted and nodded after a moment, looking up as the ivory mare smiled a little and drew her eyes over those around her. "Everypony staying here... I'm counting on you to protect Ponyville in my absence. Everypony who will be coming with us... we have a long, harsh journey ahead, into unknown territory, with the possibility of facing unknown foes. We must be careful but steadfast." "We'll push until we can't push no more, don't you worry about that, Princess Sunshine." Pinkamena said moodily, stomping a hoof... but when Antares looked over his shoulder at her, he saw excitement, anxiety, eagerness in her eyes, like she was actually nervous about what was ahead... but all the same, felt that the risk was worth it. "Let's just get moving. No time for long goodbyes." "Antares, Celestia... good luck to you both. And bring Scrivener and Luna back." Twilight said quietly, and Burning Desire nodded even as he wrapped a foreleg tightly around the violet mare's shoulders, smiling faintly. Antares nodded slowly to his mother, then glanced up at Celestia, barely hearing the others as they spoke goodbyes and wished them luck, as they cheered them on and reassured them that everything would be fine. For a few moments, Celestia and Antares only looked at each other, the young stallion reading deep into Celestia's soul... and then he closed his eyes as the strangest vision of a cardinal perched inside a shining golden cage flooded through his mind, but there were two shapes in the darkness outside that were reaching up as if to force the bars open... Before Antares could say anything, however, Celestia looked up and said calmly: "Then if we're all packed and ready, it's time to leave. Antares, concentrate on what you described yesterday. I'll open the Bifrost..." "We'll help." Twilight said quietly, and then she smiled a little when Celestia looked at her with concern, the Lich shaking her head slowly as she murmured: "I can spare a little strength for Luna and Scrivy, Celestia, and Burning Desire can add his own..." "And I, too. I may not know how such magic works, but all the same I can give a little more power to the spell." Rarity added quietly, and Celestia nodded slowly. She began to turn forwards, then frowned as a voice called out to them, and Antares looked over his shoulder in surprise to see Scutum approaching with Rosewood. The pink unicorn was wheezing for breath, but Scutum looked implacable as ever in his heavy armor and with his sword sheathed over his back, striding towards Celestia before he bowed his head politely to her, saying quietly: "With all respect, your highness, it wouldn't be proper for me to sit back while you go placing yourself in danger. I request permission to join this operation." "Antares!" Rosewood snapped, once she'd gotten her breath back, and the young stallion winced before the pink unicorn stormed towards him and glared down at him. "No goodbye? No warning? No letter?" The young stallion turned beet-red, train of thought derailing completely as he looked wildly back and forth before Rosewood grabbed his shoulders and looked down into his eyes, saying firmly: "Don't do it again, Scutum and I barely managed to get here in time, I see... and I'll help with whatever spell you're doing, too. I know this has something to do with your parents, Prestige... wrote often about that. Told me many stories about what you got up to with that, but... please. Remember that I'm here to help, too. Let me honor my daughter's memory that way." Antares softened at this, and when Celestia glanced at him, the young stallion nodded without hesitation. Celestia nodded back, then she said quietly: "Very well then. Just focus your magic towards me, Rosewood, as the others do. I'll open the Bifrost, and Scutum... you are welcome to join us." "It's for my daughter. And for the stallion my daughter loved." Scutum replied quietly with a shake of his head, and Antares smiled faintly before the one-eyed unicorn turned around, head raised high as he said quietly: "Loyalty, above all." Celestia nodded slowly, looking down at the soldier for a moment before she raised her head and closed her eyes, horn beginning to glow with golden light as she said quietly: "Honor is everything. And now, let us show our loyalty, our honor, our compassion for the friends who rescued us... by rescuing them." Other unicorns rose their heads, horns glowing, adding to the rumble of power that was building in the air, as Antares breathed slowly, feeling that twist inside him, dredging up all the strength he could before he gritted his teeth and rose his head as his own horn grew brighter and brighter... and then his eyes widened, taking on their own luminescence as he saw another flurry of visions, heard clanking, heard the howls of machinery and ponies before he cried out as his head snapped back and his blood boiled in his veins. Celestia looked down at him sharply, but kept her concentration on the spell before she gritted her teeth, feeling the mix of energies in the air before she snapped her horn upwards with a curse of effort: and a moment later, a golden swirl of flames erupted from the ground, startling those present as it became a cyclone that shot high up into the air before twisting around and smashing into the sky itself like a living, flaming serpent. Reality shattered into puzzle pieces of sky that hailed down like they had become physical, and the fiery cyclone burrowed through this hole in the universe, becoming a glowing tunnel as the flames swirled and transformed into an arcing bridge of rainbow light. And without hesitation, Celestia dashed for this, running though the crowd of ponies with Antares following close behind on instinct, Scutum and others falling in behind. Her hooves hit the slope of the bridge and charged up along it as if magnetized, gritting her teeth as she felt arcs of energy shocking along her armor before she charged headlong into the hole in reality itself. The winged unicorn found herself surrounded by sound and swirling light, energy filling up her body as arcs of raw power burst over her frame, adrenaline pumping through her muscles as she shot down the passage in seconds that felt like minutes. It was impossible to know how long she ran for, as she heard the yells and shouts of the other ponies who had followed her up onto the Bifrost, as she sensed Antares behind her, sprinting as fast as he could. Aunt and nephew tore out the other side of the tunnel almost side-by-side to run down the other side of the bridge... and it was only instinct that kept the two running down the arch as they both looked up in shock at the red sky above. It was the color of wet blood, cloudless and corrupt, with no sun or moon or stars twinkling in the crimson hell above... but the sky was only the beginning. They ran off the bridge, and the feeling of energy was immediately replaced by feelings of disgust and repulsion, Antares' stomach twisting into knots as he staggered through the dark mess beneath his hooves and stared down in horror: the ground itself was nothing but oily, black mire and ashes and chunks of broken, burnt stone, and as he looked up, he shivered in disbelief at the sight of the only landmarks he could clearly make out: immense, steel pipes, some feeding into strange, long-shut-down structures of some sort, the nearest broken open and scabbed over with dark sludge: with the corruption of Clockwork World, weapon and shield of the Tyrant Wyrms, lifeblood of Valthrudnir's treacherous plans and projects. Antares staggered weakly, shaking his head as other ponies ran down the Bifrost, the group steadily growing larger until the Yamato Guard finally dragged the armored, golden wagon through last. The Bifrost shattered like glass just as the armored Nightmares cleared the ramp, and the heavy wheels stuck in the sludge as Rainbow Dash looked back and forth, he and the other Pegasi keeping to the safety of the air as he whispered: "This... this can't be Equestria..." "Oh Horses of Heaven..." Cowlick groaned, and then she yanked a cigarette and lighter hurriedly free from beneath the gemstone vest she was wearing, shoving it into her mouth and lighting up, taking a long, steadying drag before she exhaled and whispered: "Luna and Scrivener... fought through here? This... this was that lunatic's idea of paradise?" "Perfect, working order..." Celestia murmured, following the pipeline with her eyes towards the mountains in the distance... and the single landmark she could see, a broken and ruptured steel castle that had once been... "Canterlot..." Antares shook his head weakly, disbelievingly, as ponies shifted uneasily, even Scutum seeming unnerved. The young stallion felt his head swimming, and the corruption along his hooves seemed almost to be trying to drag itself up his body, stirring awful memories in his mind as he swallowed heavily again before looking towards Celestia. The ivory mare had walked a little bit ahead, was staring blankly towards Canterlot still, as the oppressive, heavy air bore down against them, and Antares quickly began to stride towards her. He opened his mouth... and then everything went blurry as something twisted painfully inside of him, grabbing his stomach and groaning loudly as visions tore through his mind, as he felt the corruption... calling to him... But then he felt a hoof on his shoulder, looking up to see Celestia there, leaning over him worriedly, and the young stallion forced himself to swallow before whispering: "We need to... get moving." For a few moments, Celestia was silent, looking both anxious and almost regretful... but finally, she nodded slowly, and Antares closed his eyes with a shiver. It was going to be a long journey. Category:Transcript Category:Story